X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (ChrX STRs) loci are used for forensic practice in recent years. Considering the unique heredity characteristics of ChrX, recombination and linkage disequilibrium (LD) among ChrX STR loci vary between male and female and different populations as well. However, there is a lack of data for analysis of recombination and linkage disequilibrium on ChrX STR loci in the Chinese population. In this work, a total of 303 unrelated individuals (203 males and 100 females) in the Chinese Han population were analyzed with Mentype Argus X-8 PCR amplification kit (DXS10135-DXS8378, DXS7132-DXS10074, HPRTB-DXS10101, and DXS10134-DXS7423). The recombination and linkage disequilibrium of the eight ChrX STR loci were investigated with HapMap LD plots and software ARLEQUIN 3.1. Allele frequencies of the eight loci and further population forensic genetic parameters were obtained. Our results revealed hotspots for recombination, and there was no obvious evidence for LD among the eight loci in the Chinese population. Our work implied that single locus frequencies rather than haplotype frequencies should be applied for forensic practice in the Chinese population.

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Purpose The aim of the study was to evaluate the association of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 polymorphisms with uterine leiomyoma in Chinese women. Methods We investigated 100 women with clinically diagnosed uterine leiomyoma and 110 healthy normal subjects from Chinese women. The genetic distribution of two CYP1A1 polymorphisms at MspI, Ile462Val and four CYP1B1 polymorphisms at Arg48Gly, Ala119Ser, Leu432Val, Asp449Asp were analyzed by polymerase chain reactionrestriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing method. Results All the SNPs showed polymorphisms in Chinese women. The genotype A/G and the allele G on Ile462Val was significantly different between uterine leiomyoma patients and controls (P<0.05). Conclusion These results suggest that the genotype of CYP1A1 Ile462Val was associated with the increased risk of uterine leiomyomas in Chinese women.

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in pre-miRNAs may alter microRNA (miRNA) expression levels or processing and contribute to susceptibility to a wide range of diseases. We investigated the correlation between four SNPs (rs11614913, rs3746444, rs2910164, and rs229283) in pre-miRNAs and the risk of asthma in 220 asthma patients and 540 controls using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism methodology and DNA-sequencing. There were significant differences in the genotype and allelic distribution of rs2910164G/C and rs2292832C/T polymorphisms among cases and controls. The CC genotype and C allele of rs2910164G/C were significantly associated with a decreased risk of asthma (CC vs. GG, odds ratio [OR] = 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.31-0.82; C vs. G, OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.59-0.93). Similarly, the TT genotype and T allele of rs2292832C/T were significantly associated with a decreased risk of asthma (TT vs. CC, OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.33-0.95; T vs. C, OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.53-0.95). However, no significant association between the other two polymorphisms (i.e., rs11614913C/T and rs3746444C/T) and the risk of asthma was observed. Our data indicate that rs2910164G/C and rs2292832C/T may play a role in the development of asthma.

Application of X-STRs as complements of autosomal STR application in the forensic genetics has become a tendency for kinship testing, especially in deficiency paternity cases. Recently, a novel kit of 19 X-STR loci was developed, which permitted the analysis of 19 STR in the same PCR reaction, and these markers can be clustered into seven groups for the physical linkage. The objective of this study was to evaluate the allele and haplotype diversity of 19 X-STR loci in the Uygur (n = 220) and Tibetan nationality (n = 270) and to estimate the usefulness for complex kinship analysis. In the Tibetan and Uygur populations, a total of alleles of all loci were 188 and 212, with the allele frequencies ranged from 0.0037 to 0.5593 and from 0.0045 to 0.5409, respectively. Compared with previous studies, DXS10135 was the most polymorphic locus in the two population groups, whereas the least variant locus was DXS10164 in the Uygur population and DXS7423 in the Tibetan nationality. Haplotype diversity obtained in this investigation was greater than 0.9 across all LGs. This study indicated the new kit could be used as a supplementary tool in kinship testing in China. In addition, the data sets can be used as supplementary national X-STR references to enlarge the database.